Carnatic Vocal Concert

Carnatic Vocal Concert

By Ranjani and Gayatri

Saturday, May 10, 2025 | 4:30 PM

B. Reed Henderson High School

400 Montgomery Avenue
West Chester, PA 19380

About This Event

For a full year sponsorship (season pass) covering premium tickets for all events, please visit the Membership page at https://www.sruti.org/membership/sponsorship-information

Ranjani and Gayatri, sisters, are world-renowned musicians whose musical contributions include studio recordings, television, radio, concerts, festivals and lecture demonstrations. They have appeared as soloists, violin duos, accompanists, vocal duos, composers, educators and ambassadors of Indian Classical Music. As top class Carnatic classical musicians, Ranjani and Gayatri are conservators of their genre’s unique beauty and preserve ancient tradition as they continue to innovate within it. Ranjani Gayatri’s performances are highly acclaimed for their melodious renditions, impeccable coordination as a duo, and their ability to explore the depths of ragas through intricate improvisations. They have a vast repertoire of classical compositions in several languages including Sanskrit, Tamizh, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi and others.

Perfection of sruti (pitching), powerful voice control, rich imagination and impeccable aesthetics which reflect the timeless values of classicism – these are some of the qualities that describe the music of Ranjani and Gayatri. Above all this, it is the sisters’ capacity to deeply experience and enjoy what they sing that takes their music to a different plane. Their two voices blend and contrast to strike a fine balance between vibrancy and contemplation, intellect and emotion, tradition and innovation. Their concerts, which draw full houses across the globe, resound with energy, freshness and emotional intensity.

Ranjani and Gayatri’s concerts take the listener into a world of color, beauty and transcendental bliss. Their music leaves a powerful impact on music aficionados and fans, inspiring many musicians to follow their style.Ranjani and Gayatri owe their rich musical heritage to their Gurus, Sri T.S. Krishnaswami who taught them violin and Sri P.S.Narayanaswamy, who guided them through their vocal journey. They had their initial vocal training from their mother Smt Meenakshi Balasubramanian and their father Balasubramanian played a pivotal role in shaping their musical values.

Rajeev Mukundan is a dynamic and acclaimed Carnatic violinist, whose mellifluous playing and keen sense of aesthetics and musical understanding makes him a much sought-after accompanist in the Carnatic concert circuit.
Rajeev began his violin lessons with Shri N.Govindarajan at a very young age. He is
a senior disciple of the violin virtuoso, Sangeetha Kalanidhi A.Kanyakumari and has been under able guidance for over two decades. He is an ‘A’-grade artiste of the All India Radio and has many accolades to his credit. Rajeev has travelled extensively, both in India and abroad. He has given many violin duet concerts with his Guru, and has accompanied several leading musicians of today. He has also been a part of many jugalbandis and unique musical collaborations. Apart from being a violinist, Rajeev is also a talented illustrator, who seeks to bring out the beauty of Carnatic music through his visual storytelling as well. He strives to take Carnatic music to the next generation through innovative projects involving illustration and animation. Rajeev also works full time in the entertainment industry as a game designer.

Manoj Siva, a prime disciple of Sangita Kalanidhi Sri Palghat Raghu, hails from a family of musicians and music lovers. A Musician and a teacher par excellence he had his initial training in mridangam under Sri Kumbakonam Rajappa Iyer and Sri Srirangarajapuram Jayaraman from a very young age. In the 35 plus years of his career, he has participated in many prestigious festivals across India and abroad which includes performances at the Rashtrapati Bhavan with the legendary Shri K.V.Narayanswamy, Trophen Theatre Amsterdam and Kennedy Centre, Washington DC.

Manoj is a sought after accompanist and has accompanied a gamut of artistes from the legendary Iconic Carnatic musicians Smt D.K.Pattamal, Smt.T Muktha, Sri D.K. Jayaraman, Sri K.V.Narayanaswamy, Sri T.N. Seshagopalan to name a few to today’s front ranking and upcoming musicians.

Manoj’s performances have gained recognition not just in India, but overseas too. He has performed in countries including U.S.A, Canada, London, Germany, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Belgium Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia, Doha, Bangladesh, Honk Kong, Latvia.

Krishna Sriram is a distinguished percussionist who plays the Ghatam, a clay pot instrument used in Carnatic Music.
Ghatam, the clay pot instrument, is used to depict the rhythm in Carnatic music. It has found one of the most skilful musicians – S. Krishna. Trained under the Ghatam Vidwan (legend) V Suresh, and guided by doyens such as T.H Vinayakaram. Krishna (known as Ghatam Krishna) has been playing alongside Mridangists of various styles, accompanying both vocal and instrumental music. In his fifteen years of experience on stage, his Ghatam has taken him to venues of great importance across India, and to mention a few nations such as USA, Australia, Europe, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.